In a conventional safety device for an elevator, an upper portion brake mechanism is housed in an upper frame of a car and a lower portion brake mechanism is housed in a lower frame of the car. A speed governor rope is joined to a lever of the upper portion brake mechanism. The lower portion brake mechanism is connected to the upper portion brake mechanism via a connecting rod. Thus, when the lever of the upper portion brake mechanism is operated by gripping the speed governor rope, a lever of the lower portion brake mechanism is also operated, whereby the upper portion brake mechanism and the lower portion brake mechanism are activated simultaneously. As a result, the upper portion brake mechanism and the lower portion brake mechanism can be reduced in size (see PTL 1, for example).